Two

The scenery changed once again and Dean found that he was seated in a vinyl red booth in a diner. It was a buzz with energy and people coming and going. Dean looked down after he smelled a delicious aroma and found that a cheeseburger had been placed in front of him without him even ordering it. He beamed and reached out for the burger, taking a giant bite of it.

"Don't expect it to last," Dean looked out from behind his food and saw Holly seated across from him. "It's not real."

"Sure tastes real to me," Dean mumbled through a mouth full of food. "It feels real too."

"Your mind has conjured up something it wants," Holly explained. "You are probably being fed in real life in your comatose state with some kind of feeding tube. Your mind is creating something you want and since you happen to have an affinity for bacon cheeseburgers it chose this place."

"This witch sure knows what's good." Dean smiled a bit, but when he looked over at Holly his smile dropped. "What's wrong?"

Holly was busy watching every human, the couples laughing and smiling as they walked out looking into each other's eyes, leftovers in white Styrofoam boxes in their hands. Children were coloring on paper placemats that were standard to the diner, broken crayons staining their hands and the blank white paper. An elderly couple sat, facing one another and smiling. They couldn't stop staring into each other's eyes.

"Nothing…" she replied softly.

"Humanity's a bit," Dean chuckled. "Overwhelming isn't it?"

"Quite." Holly said.

Holly's mannerisms were different than the angels Dean was used to seeing. Of course he'd only been around Castiel, out of all the angels in Heaven, most of his life so there wasn't much to compare her to. Gabriel was wild and boisterous, obnoxious was more the word. Castiel was more reserved, but if provoked he could the scariest thing Dean had ever seen in his life. Holly reminded him more of Castiel's type of angel than Gabriel's. He looked away from her and down, his burger was gone.

"We should go." Holly stood up and re-adjusted her jacket on her shoulders. Dean looked over at her hoodie. It had a small red stain on the pocket.

"You've got something on your jacket?" Dean pointed to it.

"Oh," Holly seemed quick to answer. "It's just ketchup."

Dean was about to question her, but suddenly she was gone. The people around him in the diner were frozen. He was standing, alone, and the only one mobile. He turned around, looking around him, terrified to even move. Dean looked in front of him, it seemed to glimmering. It was like something clear was in front of him. He tapped it and saw a small crack appear in front of him. He tapped it again and the crack became bigger. He scraped at it with his fingernail and the piece of clear area started to shatter further and fall away. There was an image of a tree trunk, some leaves, and some black concrete of a street. Dean, confused, jumped in awe and found he could reach his hand right through. He looked up and saw another crack forming and growing, forming and growing. The crack grew until it shattered like the rest and the clear was gone, the diner was gone, leaving Dean in the middle of a street, like when he had arrived in his mind.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"I was wondering when you'd figure it out," Dean turned around abruptly to see Holly standing probably not but 15 feet from him, down the street a bit and staring. Dean rubbed his cheek and sighed before walking over towards her. "It's common to dream lands."

"Shattering glass?" Dean asked.

"It represents the barrier between one memory or dream and the next," Holly explained. "Since you're in a coma you're in a state of constant dreaming per se. It's a common archetype."

"You're smart." Dean replied.

"I learned from the best." Holly said. Her blue eyes met Dean's and then she turned her attention to a house down the street. It looked dilapidated and most certainly haunted. The wood was falling off in strands and shingles littered the yard. The white paint was peeling and the porch looked ready to cave in on itself. The numbers on the front: 2340 were metal and only one had fallen off into the yard, a circle on the paint remained where the zero had been. Holly started to approach it, Dean ran after her.

"It doesn't look safe…" Dean touched her shoulder, it felt remarkably cold. He let go when she jerked her head back.

"When has that ever stopped you?" she asked.

"I didn't mean for me," Dean replied. "I meant…"

"I'm a big girl," Holly remarked. "I'm not afraid of a ghost or an old house. Besides, I'm an angel. There's nothing in here or in your mind that can hurt me."

Dean thought about what she'd said. Maybe he did need to calm down a bit, he'd touched shattered glass. He'd peeled it away without a single cut. This was the future, this was in his mind. Whatever happened here hadn't happened in the waking world yet or potentially wouldn't happen at all. It was the first time in Dean's life he'd felt invincible. Holly was right; nothing here could hurt him or her.

Holly took the steps one by one as if she'd walked them one million times before and Dean reluctantly followed. The interior of the house wasn't as bad as it seemed, the floors were a bit warped, but they were otherwise in place and stable. The kitchen was outdated and full of appliances no one used anymore. The stairs were rickety, but stable as well. The rooms were empty. All was quiet, until Dean heard a bump from above them. It sounded like a scuffle.

"What in the hell…" Dean mumbled to himself. He stood still for a moment, but eventually curiosity got the best of him. He fondled his knife in the back of his belt loop and pulled it forward so it was in front of him. Holly stood in place, almost as if she was encouraging him to go first. Like a mother encouraging her child to catch the bus on time on their first day of preschool. But this wasn't blocks and counting, Dean was terrified of the things in his mind. The monsters that probably lurked in the shadows had more than likely been waiting for this moment their whole non-existence.

Dean took the steps slowly. They creaked under his weight. His brain went into hunting mode. He forgot he wasn't in the real world, he forgot this was his brain, he even forgot about Holly for a moment. His knife was held in steady in his hand as he rounded the corner and into the hallway. There were four rooms on the top floor. Three bedrooms and one bathroom, the bedrooms were dusty and deserted and one of the rooms was missing a door though the brass hinges still remained. The floors were all wood, wood that hadn't been treated in a long time. The light streamed down the hall from a room where the door was cracked slightly. Dean's knife glistened in it. He approached the door and threw it open.

He was greeted by himself, being thrown across the room and into the wall. A cloud of dust erupted from the floorboards and the future him coughed and groaned. There was a nice dent left in the wall. Sam stood across the room, iron tool from the fireplace downstairs in his hand and a nice gash leaking blood on his forehead, above his left eye. He panted and stood rigid, at attention, preparing for the angry spirit to show itself again. Dean also laid on Castiel, who stood, ready as well. Castiel looked about as tired as Sam. The ghost appeared again.

"Hey," Castiel held up an old doll. It was Victorian and cracked across the hauntingly gray eye. "Assbutt!"

The ghost turned its head and Sam motioned for Castiel to continue with what he planned to do. Castiel lifted his hand to the doll preparing to smite it in a fiery flame, but the ghost girl had other plans. She came at Castiel, shrieking, and stuck her arm right through him. Castiel yelped and gasped in pain and doubled over. Blood poured from the wound in his chest and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Dean!" Sam yelled and Dean, painfully, reached his lighter and tossed it to Sam. Sam made a beeline for the doll and successfully grabbed it, sliding over to it as if he were sliding into home plate. Sam lit the doll's hair on fire and the ghost girl shrieked again, but this time disappeared into a plume of smoke and fire.

Sam breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned his head back on the dirty floor as the future Dean struggled to stand. The future Dean rubbed his back and coughed again. He looked over at Castiel and fear clouded everything else in his brain.

"Cas!" Future Dean shouted so loud that Dean could've sworn it shook the whole house.

Future Dean ran over to Castiel and rolled him on his side. The angel was out cold and bleeding, but alive. Dean breathed a sigh of relief, but he feared if they didn't help Castiel fast enough things would turn bad.

"Sammy," Future Dean called out. "Help me!"

Sam lifted his head and saw the damage that had been done. He clambered up from the floor and moved over towards Future Dean and Castiel. Sam helped Future Dean lift Castiel and carry him, carefully but quickly, to the Impala. From there they placed Castiel in the back seat and made sure he was comfortable before Dean jumped into the driver's seat with Sam in the passenger's and sped off. They zoomed by so fast that the street sign almost twirled around. Maple Street.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean found himself somewhere else once again; he was getting kind of sick of not being able to stay in one place. This time it was another motel, no surprise there. This was different though; there was this aura in the air. Something Dean couldn't explain.

"This is the moment," Holly interrupted his train of thought and he jumped, grabbing his heart in fright. "That changes your life Dean."

"Give a guy a warning next time," Dean breathed out. "You're worse than Cas."

Holly's expression changed for a split second to something else Dean couldn't explain, but it quickly changed back to her usual monotone, melancholy, look. Dean could feel something powerful in the room, something unwavering. He wanted to know.

"Well go on," Holly waved him along. "Don't let me stop you."

Dean waited a moment, looking back at her, before proceeding towards the motel room that his feet guided him to. The door opened, as if by magic, and he was inside. Dean saw only one bed, but there was an adjoining room that was connected to the room by a door. Dean didn't know what had possessed him and Sam to get a room like this, unless of course that was the room left in this future, or some other reason. Dean found Sam in the front part of the room, lifting up his shirt and assessing the damage. He had two nasty bruises on his side, but other than that he would be fine. Sam winced when his shirt touched them as he put it back down.

"Take it off Sammy," a whistle and laughter followed the statement and Gabriel appeared on the foot of Sam's bed. Sam stood in front of the mirror on the wall. "Too shy?"

"Shut up," Sam said back to him, rolling his eyes and making sure his shirt was pulled down far enough. The last thing he needed was Gabriel's eyes eating him alive. He didn't want to fuel his imagination in any way. "We could've used your help you know?"

"And wreck a beautiful face like this," Gabriel drew a circle in the air in front of his face and smiled. "I was occupied."

"Yeah," Sam sat down next to him, keeping a bit of distance, but still dangerously close. "So was I, defeating psycho ghost girl number fifty thousand."

Sam huffed and pulled off his boots, pain evident in his every movement. Gabriel watched him struggle for a moment before rolling his eyes and grabbing Sam's wrist. He tugged Sam's arm out of the way and touched his hand to Sam's side. Sam tried to protest, but instead he whined when he felt white hot heat sear through him and his bruises disappeared.

"You're welcome," Gabriel said. "Consider it payment for leaving you guys hanging."

Sam grunted in reply, he was still getting used to having the archangel around, healing him much less.

"How's my brother," Gabriel asked. "Is Dean ogling over him like a teenage girl?"

"He's bandaged him up until Cas can heal himself," Sam explained. "He's in his room with him now."

Dean walked past the two of them, he stopped though. He saw something in Sam's eyes. A glint, a filmy layer, like he was dazed and Dean knew that look very well.

"Oh hell no," Dean exclaimed. "Sammy no, c'mon this guy killed me like how many times in one Tuesday?! Well, multiple Tuesdays. Still, Sammy c'mon man…he's…he's the fricken Trickster for God's sake!"

"We can't help who we fall for," Holly stepped closer to Dean as he watched Sam look at Gabriel. Gabriel was hardly paying attention to Sam's glances, but Dean could tell his brother was pining a bit. "He's good to Sam, for him. He's helped him a bit. He's been there for him."

"I'm always there for Sam." Dean glared at Gabriel, though he couldn't see him.

"It's different," Holly said. "You're his brother, Gabriel's his…friend."

"Some friend," Dean scoffed. "What "friend" kills his friend's brother repeatedly just for kicks?"

"I'll let you ask Gabriel that one," Holly replied and turned towards the closed door to Dean and Castiel's room. "Go Dean."

Dean walked over to the door and it creaked out, almost as if it were inviting him in to watch. He saw Future Dean walking from the bathroom and over to Castiel. Castiel was lying, splayed out on the bed. His trench coat and shoes had been removed, his dress clothes as well, leaving him in nothing but a blood stained white t-shirt and boxers. Dean himself stepped back as if he were standing in his own way as Future Dean walked in front of him to the side of the bed. Future Dean sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. He rubbed his hand from his forehead to his chin and closed his eyes. Castiel shifted slightly on the bed and opened his.

"D-ean…" Castiel croaked out, turning his head towards his friend.

"Cas," Future Dean jumped forward, concerned. "Cas man, how are you?"

"I am fine Dean," Castiel replied as he looked down at the bandages. "I promise…"

"You couldn't possibly heal yourself," Future Dean explained. "Not with all the blood you lost. I had to bandage you up. Sorry I stripped yah without a tip."

Future Dean laughed at his own joke, but it fell on deaf ears to Castiel. He cocked his head in misunderstanding.

"Never mind," Future Dean chuckled. "Are you in pain?'

"No Dean," Castiel answered. "I'm not."

"Don't ever do that again," Future Dean's expression turned serious. "Don't. I'm not going through that again; I thought I lost you today."

"Dean it's impossible for you to-" Castiel was cut off.

"Damn it Cas," Future Dean exclaimed and Dean jumped. "Just listen okay?! I can't, I won't go through this ever again! I won't lose you over something as stupid as a hunt! I won't lose you over anything not as severe either! I want you…to stay Cas. I need you to stay. I can't let you go. I—"

"Dean," Castiel sat up and leaned forward. "You won't…"

"But," Future Dean stammered.

"You won't," Castiel got closer; his lips grazed Future Dean's cheek. "You could never lose me. Not even if you tried."

Dean paled and backed out of the room.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"I am not gay first of all," Dean yelled at Holly. "And second of all, Cas is my friend!"

"Did I say either of those things was relevant or mattered," Holly asked him. "Nobody ever said you were gay and he being your friend shouldn't matter at all. Most people start off as friends."

"But he's," Dean's voice went up an octave. "He's a guy!"

"Dean," Holly stepped closer, she clearly lacked knowledge on personal space as well. "I said it once and I'll say it again, you can't help who you fall for. Has your brother ever been known to mess around with guys before?"

"Well I don't know about college…" Dean mumbled.

"Angels," Holly had this almost warrior-like look in her eyes, the same look Castiel had given Dean many a time when they'd first met. "They are balls of light. You fell in love with a ball of light Dean. Those blue eyes, their Castiel's, those black wings are his too. The vessel is irrelevant. You fell in love with what was inside and so did he. Isn't that enough? Why is that never enough?"

Dean swallowed hard. He honestly couldn't argue with what Holly was saying. Dean couldn't deny his obvious (platonic, he swore!) attraction towards Castiel. The man was interesting; he was an angel for God's sake. Dean couldn't understand what people were seeing. He'd never known what love felt like, at least not the kind of love a man had for a woman, or in this case a man for a…ball of light. He'd never experienced it before, but as Dean looked at his arm at the spot where Castiel had gripped him tight he felt small tendrils of emotion shoot through him. The raised red hand print had slowly, over the years, become a white scar in the shape of the hand Castiel had used to grip Dean tight and raise him from perdition. Still, Dean had never forgotten about it.

"Just keep your mind open," Holly urged him. "And never be afraid of any opportunity. This opportunity may be different than what you're used to but I assure you, it's worth it."

Dean contemplated Holly's words; they were streaming through him like water in a sifter. One million thoughts buzzed through his head at once. Castiel, he loved him, in the future he loved Castiel. Maybe even now he loved Castiel? Maybe all along he'd grown to love Castiel…?

As Dean turned his head to see Future him embracing Castiel in a loving hug, he felt the tendrils of emotion pulling at him again. Almost as if he wanted that now, almost as if he wanted what he had here in general? All he knew was that before he had time to register what he felt, the scenery changed again and Dean found himself facing the next part of his supposed future.

Reviews are appreciated!

I do hope you all are enjoying the story so far, leave a comment telling me what you want to see, what you're hoping to see, any predictions, thoughts, concerns, I'd love to read them.